7: Chapter 7 Get in the way! Mission accomplished! Grandmaster-level Mountain-Shaking Fist!

Another night passed, and the morning light fell once again.

The morning dew condensed and slid down, dripping onto Luo Qingxue's forehead.

The icy sensation jolted her awake instantly!

Opening her eyes, she revealed a weariness that could not be hidden.

She had originally planned to find a relatively safe place and set off to leave after surviving this final night.

After all, her purpose in coming here alone was to hone her experience in real combat and break through her boundaries between life and death.

Now that she had accomplished this, there was little point in staying any longer.

Yet for some reason, the fierce beasts throughout the town last night seemed to have gone mad!

They wouldn't rest at all, forcing her to change locations several times.

As a result, she barely got any rest!

Fortunately, she had no plans to continue hunting fierce beasts today. She only needed to be cautious and make her way out through the town's exit.

However, once she stepped onto the street, an exceptionally bizarre feeling enveloped her heart.

The surroundings were deathly quiet—so quiet that it was... highly abnormal.

It was as if all the fierce beasts had completely vanished overnight. From the moment she woke up until now, she hadn't heard even a single beastly roar!

This discovery caused Luo Qingxue's heart to sink.

Her suspicion from last night seemed to be confirmed: a highly powerful Fierce Beast King had indeed emerged in this town!

Otherwise, such a drastic change overnight would have been absolutely impossible!

"I must get out quickly and inform the leader guarding this place about the appearance of the Fierce Beast King!"

Luo Qingxue felt a sense of urgency and quickened her pace.

However, due to her mental exhaustion and the impact of her injuries, she failed to notice a cold, murderous gaze tracking her from the very beginning.

At the exact moment her gaze focused ahead and her attention drifted from her surroundings!

An agile and swift figure, like a bolt of black lightning, lunged at her from the darkness!

It was a Shadow Cat!

Judging by its size, it was even more powerful than the one that had severely wounded her last night!

Although she had undergone several days of tempering and had now broken through to the third level of the Mortal Shedding Realm,

she was still unable to completely dodge this long-premeditated ambush.

She could only do her best to protect her vital areas, resulting in a splash of blood blooming from her shoulder, exposing the ghastly white bone beneath!

This single blow nearly crippled one of her arms!

Naturally, her combat strength was severely compromised!

"A level-two Mortal Shedding Realm Shadow Cat... In my current state, I only have a thirty percent chance. I have to risk it all!"

Sparing her life from a deadly ambush at the cost of a semi-crippled arm...

was still within Luo Qingxue's threshold of tolerance.

In just an instant, she analyzed the situation and made the most correct decision for her current circumstances!

Fight back!

Shifting her combat sword, her sharp alloy longsword clashed with the Shadow Cat's sharp claws, throwing off blinding sparks.

Soon, she and the Shadow Cat were locked in a tense standoff.

Both sides were searching for an opening.

But this standoff did not last long. The Shadow Cat seemed to sense something, and a flicker of fear flashed in its eyes.

It actually turned around and fled, showing no lingering desire for the human feast it could have enjoyed before long.

"What's going on?"

Luo Qingxue was baffled, but she did not let her guard down because of this.

After silently bandaging her wound where she stood, her body suddenly froze!

For she realized that the Shadow Cat's voluntary retreat was most likely because it had sensed the approach of another, far more powerful fierce beast!

And in this town, any beast stronger than the Shadow Cat had to be at least a level-three Mortal Shedding Realm fierce beast!

The most powerful existence in this area was highly likely to be the Fierce Beast King that had been born last night!

Crack—!

Not far behind her, the sound of glass being stepped on and shattered rang out.

This sudden sound sent a shiver down Luo Qingxue's spine.

She could clearly sense the terrifying presence of the creature behind her!

It was an aura unique to a high-ranking being, one that could easily snatch her life away!

Her willpower as a martial artist allowed her to break through her natural instincts.

Clenching her teeth, she gripped her longsword tightly and, using all her strength, thrust backward with a full-force strike!

But when she saw the youth standing behind her, her pupils constricted sharply.

Realizing she had misjudged, she tried to change the direction of her sword thrust.

However, a sharp pain shot through her wrist, forcing her to release her grip on the alloy longsword.

In the blink of an eye, Luo Qingxue didn't even see the youth's movements. She only heard a sword chime as the alloy longsword whistled past her ear!

Plunging into the residential building behind her, the immense force caused the entire structure to collapse.

A strand of severed long hair fell past her earlobe, its cut perfectly clean.

Luo Qingxue stood frozen in place, the shock in her eyes lingering for a long time!

Even though she was injured, her full-force strike had been easily neutralized. He had disarmed her and thrown the sword at a speed she couldn't even register!

This absolute crushing of raw power left her feeling somewhat dazed.

This youth was clearly not very old, and in all likelihood, he was around her age, yet their strengths were worlds apart!

When did such a figure appear in Jiang City?!

"Scram. Don't get in my way."

Lu Qingyun's exceptionally indifferent voice reached Luo Qingxue's ears, and a sudden wave of humiliation washed over her.

She turned around, but all she could see was Lu Qingyun's retreating figure.

In the ruined debris, his figure was clearly slender, yet it naturally drew one's eyes to him.

She parted her lips, wanting to call out to Lu Qingyun.

By all rights, it was because of Lu Qingyun's appearance that she had been able to survive.

Moreover, her attacking Lu Qingyun just now was entirely her mistake.

She wanted to thank and apologize to Lu Qingyun, but the exceptionally cold words echoing in her mind made her choke back what she wanted to say.

"Forget it, I'll talk to him after I get out. He seems... quite busy."

Luo Qingxue only withdrew her gaze once Lu Qingyun's figure had completely vanished from sight.

She didn't waste time retrieving the alloy longsword that had cost her two hundred thousand credits.

Because at this moment, her mind was constantly replaying the scene of her sword being taken away, as well as that exceptionally indifferent gaze.

That scene was deeply engraved in her heart!

...

"I've finally caught you. Run? Where else can you run!"

"Little kitty, obediently become one with me!"

What Luo Qingxue could never have imagined in her wildest dreams was that the cold, aloof, and incredibly powerful mysterious youth she saw...

was currently pinning down the Shadow Cat that had attacked her like a total creep, muttering bizarre things.

His fists rained down, blow after blow!

Until finally, the Shadow Cat was beaten into a cat pancake.

Amidst the flesh and blood, Lu Qingyun closed his eyes and concentrated as the system notifications rang in his ears one after another!

[Killed LV2 Shadow Cat. EXP +12, Max HP +2.1. Current Max HP: 1027.2]

[Congratulations! You have slain one hundred monsters! Reward: Race Template Upgrade!]

[Mountain-Shaking Fist has broken through to the Grandmaster Perfection Realm, comprehending Mountain-Shaking Fist Intent!]